Sasuke's Mission
by MT Pocketts
Summary: Sasuke has been given an unofficial mission: he has to find a girlfriend by the end of the week. An Uchiha never backs out on a mission but, who? And how? Decisions, decisions...
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any characters from Naruto.

Sasuke looked around the path as he walked slowly down it. He couldn't believe the "mission" he'd been set up on. Sasuke sighed as the whole scenario replayed in his head.

"You're always so alone, Sasuke!" Naruto complained after Sakura had stalked off in a huff. "Why don't you just give her a chance?"

"Why should I?" Sasuke retorted and sat down next to Naruto on the bench they were waiting for Kakashi at. "She's so annoying, always saying she loves me and junk."

Naruto was silent for awhile, Sasuke preferred to sit in silence than to talk with him. He found Naruto to be a good companion when he would just shut up. Naruto's face screwed up, as though he were concentrating (which Sasuke found hard to believe was possible.) Then the blonde boy smirked and turned slowly towards Sasuke.

"I have a mission for you Sasuke," Naruto smiled at him and Sasuke raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "You have to find a girlfriend by the end of the week."

From that, Sasuke had been challenged and like an idiot he accepted. There was no way an Uchiha would back down from a challenge. But... now he had to find a girl.

As he went on his way to lunch, he looked hopelessly at the people he passed. All the girls his age giggled as he passed by, he never realized how many of them noticed him. Or how many of them he had ignored all this time. Naruto seemed to think this would be an easy thing for Sasuke to do, neither of them seemed to realize just how hard it would actually be for him. Sasuke sighed again and went into Ichiraku, unwittingly passing Naruto. Naruto raised an eyebrow as the dark haired boy passed, but made nothing of it. After all, what did Sasuke matter when he had ramen?

Sasuke sat down at an empty table. All alone and thinking. To those around him, he seemed to be in a dark, brooding mood. No one really felt like approaching him.

"Sasuke-san?" A voice to his right spoke. Sasuke came out of his daze to see some members of the Hyuuga clan looking at him. The only ones he recognized were Neji, and Hinata, Neji being the one who had spoken.

"What are you doing here?" Neji asked.

"Nothing," Sasuke sighed, "Trying to complete a mission but I have no idea where to start."

"Maybe Neji nee-san could help you…?" Hinata said timidly, hiding behind Neji somewhat.

"Keh, I doubt it," Sasuke said and turned back to Neji. "What're you doing here anyway?"

"It's Hinata-sama's birthday and she wanted to come here," Neji replied. Sasuke's eyes widened slightly and he looked over at Hinata.

"Happy birthday," he said with a gentle smile. Hinata's cheeks flushed pink and she whispered her thanks.

"Uchiha, is it?" One of the older Hyuuga's asked and Sasuke nodded respectfully. Some of the older adults exchanged glances and one whispered something to Hinata. Sasuke looked at Neji for a clue as to what was going on, but Neji only gave him his usual blank stare.

"Uh… Sasuke-kun?" Hinata began timidly, face turning even more pink, "Since you're… here… and all alone…" She stumbled over her words and paused.

"Would you like to join us?" Neji finished for his cousin. Sasuke smiled weakly at Hinata again.

"I'd love to," Sasuke got up from his table and walked next to Hinata as they went further into the restaurant.

_Maybe this won't be so hard after all…_ He thought with a hidden grin.

Sasuke woke up the next day to the sound of the phone ringing, and stumbled out of bed. In the morning he found his eyes were red, but not because of sharingan. Groping for the phone blindly in the dark he found it and answered with a grumpy "Hello?"

"Sasuke?" A voice he recognized to be Sakura's said. "It's me, Sakura."

"What do you want?" He said bluntly.

"Could you come train with me and some of the others today?" Sakura said cheerfully, she was used to Sasuke's morning daze from some of their old missions.

"Yeah, sure," he yawned. "Who's going to be there?"

"Well, me, Naruto, Kiba and-" Was all Sasuke heard until Sakura's voice yelling at him woke him up. "Sasuke-kun! SASUKE-KUN!"

"Sorry Sakura, I think I dozed off," He'd never fallen asleep on the phone before. He yawned and assured her he'd come before hanging up. Rubbing his eyes he went into the kitchen to make himself breakfast. Sasuke decided that it was the last time he stayed over at the Hyuuga house talking with Neji and Hinata until 11:00 at night.

When he showed up for training, Kiba and Naruto were arguing while Sakura and Hinata practiced with their shuriken.

_Hinata...?_ he thought and tried to supress a small smile. Sakura saw him first and waved at him with a grin. He nodded in reply and noticed Hinata looked a bit sleepy too. Or was she blushing?...

"Sasuke-kun! Over here!" Sakura waved him over Hinata smiled gently at him and the other boys tried to hide their annoyance.

"So what are we doing today?" KIba asked the rest of the group.

"Oi, Sasuke!" Naruto said enthusiastically, "Want to see my super strong new move?"

"No thanks, Naruto," Sasuke replied. "I'd rather do something productive."

"Hey!" Naruto complained but no one was listening to him.

"Alright, about a full out battle, every man," Kiba started and noticed Sakura raise an eyebrow, "-er, person, for themselves."

"How about we draw names for teams?" Sakura suggested. Hinata nodded in approval and the boys went along with it. Sakura pulled a small notepad out of her purse and wrote out everyone's names. She then tore them into five seperate pieces and mixed them up with the names face down. Three on one team and two on the other. "Ok, here are the teams!" She said and flipped the papers over. The team of three was Hinata, Sakura and Sasuke. Sakura tried her best to hide her happiness as she flipped over the last two papers; revealing Kiba and Naruto as a team. Naruto and Kiba silently shared a look, not sure about how this had turned out for them.

The two teams stood opposite eachother in the practice area as a breeze blew through, rustling the trees, grass and gently blowing through their hair. Kiba and Naruto smirked together, looking like they had done this a million times before. The girls were behind Sasuke and had more confidence there, smiles grew on their faces as well. Hinata even brought her hands down to her sides.

"Alright, let's get this party started!" Naruto began to form seals quickly. "Kage bunshin no jutsu!" Suddenly they were surrounded by twelve Narutos. Kiba crouched down as he and Akamaru did their beast technique. The team of three all raised their arms, preparing to fight. Hinata used byakuugan, Sakura held a shuriken, and Sasuke formed seals. Sasuke then blew ot a fireball and took out six of the Naruto copies.

Out of the fire Kiba leapt towards Sasuke. Sasuke froze, not really realizing what had happened when someone jumped in front of him. Sasuke fell backwards onto his rear end as he heard multiple punches and heard a dog's whine. Looking up, he saw Hinata standing before him in her battle pose and Akamaru laying on his side, looking hurt.

"Akamaru-kun!" Hinata gasped, her byakuugan receeding as she went over to the puppy's side. Sasuke, still surprised at what he had seen, looked around and saw Kiba about to hit Hinata away from Akamaru.

"Hinata-san!" Sasuke yelled and jumped over to her just as she looked up at him. Ssauke took hold of her shoulders and rolled with her five feet away from where she had been, which now had a dent from Kiba's impact. They stopped rolling and Sasuke looked over at the point of impact. Akamaru had gotten up and hidden in the bushes during the commotion. Sasuke breathed a sigh of relief.

"Uh...Sasuke-kun...?" Hinata said and Sasuke looked down at her. Her big white eyes were full of wonder. Sasuke was suddenly overcome with a feeling he couldn't decribe. He couldn't stop staring into those eyes. Those big beautiful eyes...

"Sasuke-kun, could you please let me up?" Hinata said, pulling sasuke out of his daze. He suddenly blushed when he realized what position they were in. She was laying flat on the ground, he had one hand on each side of her head and his legs were inbetween hers. Sasuke rose quickly and brushed himself off, still pink in the face. Hinata pinkened as well, but accepted Sasuke's hand when he offered to help her up. They heard a pop as the last of the Naruto copies was beaten by Sakura.

Sakura now had the real Naruto up against a tree, much to Naruto's hidden pleasure. She held her weapon up against his throat, but paid little attention to him when she saw Sasuke help Hinata up. A pang of jealousy coursed through her body, and Inner-Sakura was screaming for Hinata's slow and painful death. Naruto noticed he was receiving less attention and followed her gaze to Sasuke and Hinata, the pair's hands staying connected for a little longer than normal. Naruto smiled, _So this is what his plan is... _Naruto thought.

Sasuke noticed the attention first and immediatly released the girl's hand. She seemed a little confused, but remembered they were training and enacted byakuugan once more. Sasuke saw her do this and the two struck a battle pose. Naruto realized that Sakura was probably getting very jealous right about now and felt bad for the challenge. But he knew there was one thing he could do to get her mind off of it.

"Ha!" Naruto yelled and grabbed the weapon from Sakura's hand. Sakura blinked in surprise and watched as he ran off. Suddenly, there were punching sounds and Naruto tripped, falling flat on his face unable to get up. Sakura gasped as Hinata appeared next to him, looking guilty. Sasuke appeared on the other side of him, he and Hinata had combined their talents to take down Naruto. Sasuke's speed and Hinata's gentle fist. Sakura was surprised at how well the two were working together. Surprised, and jealous.

"Oi..."Naruto groaned, rolling onto his back," Where'd Kiba go?"

"I'm over here," Kiba came out of the bushes carring Akamaru, stroking his fur lovingly. "We're done, Akamaru has burns and got hit with gentle fist."

"We got beat by GIRLS!"Naruto whined.

"Sorry Naruto-kun," Hinata blushed, "And sorry Kiba-kun."

"Don't worry Hinata," Kiba smiled at her, "I'm on your team most of the time, just not used to being on the receiving end of it."

"Maybe we should get going," Sakura suggested and walked over to Naruto. She offered him her hand and Sasuke followed suit, knowing there was no way Sakura could get him up alone. The group of five left the training area at once, Kiba in the lead and Hinata tailing behind with Sasuke and Sakura while they half carried half dragged Naruto. Hinata stayed silently on Sasuke's side, slightly behind them. No one but Sakura seemed to care, and even that was just Inner-Sakura having the fit.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters from Naruto.

It had been three days since the bet already. That meant he had only four days left to win over a girl. Sasuke sighed, he knew that his best shot would have been Sakura or Ino. Unfortunately, he couldn't stand Ino and Sakura...Sakura was too much like a younger sister to tell the truth. Of girls he might consider, that left Tenten and Hinata. But then Sasuke remembered that night at the Ichiraku when he'd asked Neji about his mission...

"So, what's this special mission you're on?" Neji asked casually as he ate his ramen. Sasuke eyed the others around him, none were paying attention to him and Neji at the moment.

"Naruto came up with it," Sasuke started.

"And you accepted a challenge from that dork?" Neji raised an eyebrow at Sasuke in amusement.

"I know, I'm almost wishing I hadn't," Sasuke swallowed another mouthful of ramen. "By the end of the week I have to find a girlfriend."

"Are you serious?"

"Yes, but I have no idea where to start."

"What about Ino?"

"No. She's just so... annoying. Besides, Shikamaru might have a fit," Sasuke explained and Neji laughed.

"Alright. Sakura?"

"Not her either, we've been on the same team for so long... It just seems like we're related almost. Fighting with her, it feels like I'm protecting my little sister, if I had one."

"Ok, so definitely not Sakura."

"How about Tenten?" Sasuke asked. There was a pause between the two. Neji tensed for a moment, then set down his chopsticks and turned to Sasuke.

"Don't even think about it, Sasuke," Neji stated clearly, glaring into Sasuke's eyes. "Tenten is off limits to you, and _any_ of the others for that matter."

"S-sorry, Neji-san," Sasuke gulped but then regained his composure. "I mean, I was only trying to narrow down the choices." Neji nodded his understanding and the tension lifted. Sasuke breathed a sigh of relief. Neji still seemed irritated so he didn't press the matter for a few more minutes.

Then the rest of the Hyuuga clan began to applaud as Hinata blew out her birthday candles. The boys turned to see this and added their own applause to the noise. Hinata looked up at the Neji and Sasuke, her face turned slightly pink and she looked away.

"What about Hinata?" Neji suggested quietly, looking at Sasuke again, relaxed this time. Sasuke studied Neji's look for a moment and looked back at Hinata. She was smiling sweetly, licking the frosting off the bottoms of the candles and allowing Hanabi to share them.

"I thought she liked Naruto..." Sasuke wondered aloud.

"Well, it's worth a try isn't it?" Neji pointed out, Sasuke nodded in agreement and fell silent. "Look, I'll even help you out. You just have to promise me one thing, Sasuke."

"Sure."

"Don't you dare hurt her," Neji said calmly tapping his forehead protector, meaning the seal hidden beneath it. "I'd have to hurt you back."

"Agreed," Sasuke said. "But how are you going to help me?" Neji just smiled at him.

"Just let me handle that," Neji said...

Sasuke sighed, he could only think of one more thing to do. Somehow he had to be alone with Hinata. He had two options; call Hinata and invite her to lunch today, or somehow run into her somewhere and suggest something. He thought about it for a moment and decided it might just be easier to call her and try to plan something.

Looking up the Hyuuga household, he dialed the number and took a deep breath. _Why am I so nervous?_ he wondered.

"Hyuuga," Someone answered.

"This is Uchiha Sasuke, can I please speak to Hinata-sama?" Sasuke said without stumbling, a good sign.

"Sorry Sasuke, you just missed her," the voice said.

"Neji-san?"

"Yeah, go to the cafe next door to Ichiraku. I'm going to help you out again, later Sasuke," Neji said and hung up. Sasuke didn't move right away, first he stared at the phone for a minute. _What just happened?_ he wondered but shook the feeling off. He then got his things together and went down to the cafe.

He got there and wondered what Neji had planned for him. About five minutes after he got there, Hinata and her sister showed up. Sasuke gulped and felt butterflies in his stomach all over again. Pretending he was just coming from the other way, walked right by them.

"Hello, Hinata-san," He smiled at her.

"Hi, Sasuke-kun," Hinata said timidly. Her little sister smiled up at him kindly.

"So what are you doing out here?" Sasuke asked, trying to start up conversation.

"Well, we-" Hinata started.

"Hinata-sama, there you are," Neji came up behind Sasuke. Sasuke casually raised an eyebrow at him, wondering what he had planned. "Hyuuga-sensei says Hanabi is late for training."

"Oh, I forgot!" The little one's eyes widened, easily convinced that she really had forgotten.

"Come on, I'll walk you back," Neji took Hanabi's hand and turned to walk her back. His gaze met Sasuke's for a brief second, both knowing very well what it was all about. Hinata looked confused as her relatives began to leave her there, and turned her gaze to the ground.

"Hinata," Sasuke began, not liking how sad she looked. "Could I treat you to lunch?" She looked up at him surprised.

"Thank you, Sasuke-kun," Hinata smiled. Sasuke offered her his arm and she was even more surprised. She took it carefully and they went into the cafe. Sasuke smiled as they walked in, _Thank you Neji-san_, he thought.

After they ate, Sasuke offered to walk her home and she accepted, the pink tint never leaving her cheeks. But this time he did not offer her his arm, he was already feeling nervous enough as it was. For most of their walk through town the two remained silent. After awhile, Sasuke finally started a conversation.

"So, do you know how Kiba and Akamaru are doing?" Sasuke asked.

"They visited the hospital and the vet, but they're back to normal now. Kiba keeps trying to get me to have a re-match with just him and me." Hinata said smiling.

"Well, you know he'd be the one to lose," Sasuke smiled at her, the pink in her cheeks deepening.

"So how is Naruto-kun?"

"He didn't take any serious hits, so he's just fine."

"Good, I'm glad."

"Although he keeps reminding us that he could've won without Kiba, somehow I think his ego got a little bruised, "Sasuke commented and Hinata giggled. It was about then that they reached her house, they stopped just outside of the entrance.

"Thank you for lunch, Sasuke-kun," Hinata said and bowed her head a little.

"You're welcome," He said. She looked at her house and back at Sasuke, seeming hesitant to leave him outside.

"Maybe…um, you could…come in…" Hinata blushed furiously.

"I'm sorry," He said, really wishing he could, and even more so because she looked a little hurt at her offer being refused. "I stayed too late last time and I don't want to be a bother."

"Oh no, it wouldn't be-"

"It's alright Hinata, I appreciate the offer. Thank you," Sasuke smiled at her. "Maybe tomorrow night?"

"Maybe you could stay for dinner tomorrow night!" She lit up at the thought.

"I'd love to, if it's alright," Sasuke said and she smiled sweetly. "But I should get going, I'll see you tomorrow."

"Good night, Sasuke-kun," She said timidly. Sasuke paused for a moment and then started slowly leaning forward. Hinata seemed surprised but made no move to stop him. He went in closer, and closer, until he was only an inch away from her face. He was about to close the gap when she met him in the middle, pressing her lips gently to his. Sasuke felt his own cheeks turn pink as the two parted.

"Good night, Hinata-chan," Sasuke smiled, face flushed pink, and turned away.

Author's Note:

I had to edit this twice to finally fit that last scene in, but it was worth it! But chapter 3 is probably going to be a lot shorter.

I bet you might be wondering what else could possibly happen after these two get together, well just wait and see. It gets pretty involved… Please R&R!


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any characters from Naruto.

Hinata watched him walk away and after she couldn't see him she turned to her own house and went in. She was so happy that she couldn't hide the smile on her face. Her cheeks were a shade of bright pink as she went through the house towards her room. She passed Neji on the way, and when he saw the look on her face he felt very pleased with himself. Afterall, if he hadn't have told Sasuke where to go, would she be smiling like this now? He knew the two of them would work well together.

"Hinata!" Hinata heard her Father's voice call out and she turned to look into his room. He was sitting in the middle of the room behind a small table. Her smile faded as she wondered if she had done something wrong.

"Good evening" she gave him a small bow. He raised an eyebrow at her.

"I want to meet this boy," He said simply, Hinata didn't even have to ask. He'd read her using byakuugan. "You may invite him to dinner tomorrow night."

"Yes, Father," Hinata bowed again and left the room. She was still happy and the smile easily returned to her face. Tomorrow morning she would have to call Sasuke to confirm their plans.

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Sasuke couldn't help but smile as he left Hinata's house. He hadn't felt this happy in such a long time… he even had a hard time placing when exactly that was. It was starting to get dark, but his house wasn't that far away and he didn't care.

He hadn't gone very far when he saw a flash of pink and red out of the corner of his eye. Sasuke stopped in his tracks, immediately knowing who it was hiding in the shadows. She really could be a nuisance sometimes.

"Sakura," He called out. "Come on out, I know you're there."

Sure enough, there was some rustling in the bushes on his right and the pink haired girl came out of hiding. She wasn't her usual cheerful self, there was no grin on her face and only a dull light in her eyes. Her hands were clasped loosely in front of her.

"Why were you following me?" Sasuke asked, trying not to sound too irritated.

"I just want to say that…I'm happy for you," Sakura began, never meeting his gaze. "I saw that smile on your face, I've never seen you smile like that before. But I can't help but wonder…Sasuke, why couldn't we have ever…tried?"

"Sakura," Sasuke spoke calmly, feeling sorry for the girl before him but at the same time not wanting to hurt her. "I'm sorry."

"'Sorry' doesn't answer the question," Frustration and sadness creeping into Sakura's voice now.

"I never meant to hurt you," He took a step towards her. "But I never felt that way about you."

"Then why would you protect me like you did during our missions? Or during the Chuunin exam?"

"I don't leave anyone behind, and you're my teammate. I do love you, just not in the way you want me to."

"Sasuke don't lie to me. Don't tell me you love me when…when…" sakura's eyes filled with tears.

"Sakura, please don't cry. I'm not lying," He placed a hand on her shoulder, but she jerked away from him. "I love you like a sister."

Sakura raised her teary eyes to his for the first time that night. As single tear made it's way down her cheek as she pulled Sasuke into a hug. Sasuke just stood there for a moment as she cried into his shirt. Once he got over his stiffness, he slowly returned the hug.

"Be good to her, Sasuke-kun," Sakura said with one last sniff and broke the hug. She ran away from him a disappeared into the darkness. Sasuke watched her go and continued on the way home, not feeling quite as contented as before.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto.  
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The next morning Sasuke woke up to a phone call, making a mental note that he should really get an alarm clock one of these days. He answered the phone and was happy to hear Hinata's voice.

"Good morning," He said once she had identified herself, even though he knew it was her.

"Would you still like to come over for dinner tonight?" She asked him timidly.

"Yes, of course," He grabbed a pen and paper. "What time?"

"About six'o'clock, and please be on time. Father appreciates punctuality," Hinata added.

"Sure thing," Sasuke replied, "So I'll see you tonight?"

"Yes, see you then," Hinata said and they hung up. Sasuke felt very pleased with himself. Then it hit him, what was he going to wear? Before he started to stress over it too much, he remembered something he needed to do.

Picking up the phone, he dialed and waited for an answer.

"Hello?" Naruto's sleepy voice answered.

"Oi, Naruto, my mission is complete," Sasuke said with a wicked grin and heard a loud 'What?' as he hung up the phone.

That evening Sasuke had managed to find an outfit that worked. He was on his on his way out with plenty of time to spare, he looked himself over one last time before he set out. He felt really nervous about meeting Hinata's family this time. Sure, he'd had dinner with them that one time at the Ichiraku. But this time, he was probably going to be introduced as the potential boyfriend. He started walking faster, suddenly wanting to seem very punctual.

He arrived at five forty-five, perfect. Hinata greeted him warmly and took him around the family, introducing him to each and everyone. Neji smirked at him as he came around, as though trying to say 'You can thank me later'.

The last person Sasuke was introduced to was Hinata's Father. He only greeted him with a slight inclination of the head. Sasuke felt very nervous, especially with the stare he'd been met by. Hinata seemed to sense Sasuke's tension and took his arm gently. This calmed him down some, and he glanced down at her, smiling weakly.

"Welcome to our home," Hinata's Father finally said and went into the next room. Sasuke took a deep breath and looked at Hinata, she was beaming up at him and he couldn't help but smile back at her.

The whole family sat down to dinner and Sasuke was placed between Hinata and Neji. He felt a little awkward, especially since he hadn't had a family dinner at home since…the incident. It was also strange seeing as no one was talking. He couldn't tell if he should start it or wait for one of them, in the end he decided not to speak unless someone else started. Hinata sent kind-hearted smiles his way, which calmed him down some despite his being on display.

The whole meal passed in silence, leaving Sasuke more confused than before. But then he followed Neji and Hinata to the main room, where they sat down at a table with Hinata's father. Sasuke wondered what they were doing when Neji pulled out a deck of cards.

"Uchiha, have you ever played 'thirteen' before?" Hinata's father asked while he took the cards from Neji and shuffled them. Sasuke smiled, it was a game he used to play with his parents every weekend as a child.

"Yes, it's been awhile but I remember how to play," Sasuke answered and took his cards as they began. _Maybe this is going better then I thought,_ Sasuke thought and proceeded to win the first two games.

Sasuke finally had to leave at 11:30 (so much for not staying late again) and the whole house said their good byes to him. Neji pulled him aside and whispered that he should teach Hinata shuriken techniques sometime, Hinata's father shook his hand and Hinata gave him a warm hug. Sasuke left smiling and made his way home in the darkness.

"So…What did you think of him?" Hinata asked her Father cautiously after Sasuke had left.

"He is a gentleman and his affection for you seems genuine enough," He said after a pause. "But there is something about him I don't like, and I can't quite seem to place it."

"Something…You don't…Like?" Hinata repeated nervously.

"You should get some rest," Her Father said and went into his own chambers, leaving her in the entrance hall. _Something…Is it bad?_ The question wouldn't leave her until she finally went into her own room and sleep carried her off.

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**A/N:** I've decided not to update until I get at least 10 reviews, so if you want to read more tell your friends. The next chapter is written, so I can wait a long time...evil laugh. Have a happy winter season everyone!


	5. Chapter 5 Bonus Chapter

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto or any characters from Naruto.

**A/N:** Well that was a lot faster than I expected…I never knew reviews could be so nice, you guys are awesome! This is kind of a bonus chapter, so if you'd rather skip to the next one you really won't miss anything. Please R&R!

They were alone in the training area and it was silent. She was concentrating on the targets Sasuke had set up for their practice, and he was watching her. With a gentle flick of the wrist, Hinata sent five shuriken flying towards the targets. They landed close to the targets; one in the center, others on the edges and one more sitting right next to the target.

"I don't think I'll ever get this…" She sighed and studied the ground.

"Don't worry about, it just takes some practice," Sasuke came up behind her, and she raised her gaze to watch him. "Here, try this."

Sasuke positioned her arms and placed her feet a few inches from where they'd been. She tried it again, and every shuriken hit a target, some closer to the center than others but all on it none the less.

"Very good," He was happy to see such fast improvement in her, and she was smiling shyly. The pink glow gave her eyes a light that only Sasuke could truly appreciate, and that usually made his face heat up as well. "Okay let's try one more time," He positioned her once more, the smell of her shampoo drifting past him. He shook the feeling away and Hinata tried once more. This time she missed two targets and a third was right on the edge.

She was visibly disappointed with herself and Sasuke felt guilty for not giving her clearer instructions. He came up behind her once more and rubbed her shoulders to relax her, whether or not it actually did was unknown because the sweet smell of her shampoo was threatening to take over his senses.

"What did I do wrong?" She asked timidly, and he took her hands from behind.

"It was how you had your hands, move with me," He put a shuriken in each of her hands and moved through the routine with her. Anyone seeing this would have thought it was some kind of dangerous yet delicate dance. Moving as one, the weapons were released and hit the targets squarely in the center. Hinata was overjoyed and Sasuke hugged her from behind.

_Naruto, how the hell am I going to thank you for this?_ He thought as he gathered the shuriken so that Hinata could try again. Walking back to her, she looked more comfortable now that she knew how to hit the targets more accurately. Sasuke loved the happy look in her eyes, it seemed like it was a look she only directed at him.

"Now lets' try all of them," He handed her the weapons and they began the dance once more. They moved as one, and once more each target was hit perfectly in the center. Hinata beamed and Sasuke smiled with her. "Want to try it on your own again?" He asked and she shook her head.

"I don't think I have it just yet," She said.

"I think you've got, try this just once for me," Sasuke kissed her cheek gently and she quickly agreed to try it.

Sasuke stood off to the side of the clearing as she positioned herself. He watched her carefully, seeing that she had everything in perfect timing to the deadly dance. That was really how he thought of it, it was a deadly dance when done right. But his was the first time he'd shared that dance with anyone.

Hinata seemed to remember the steps they had taken together perfectly, and she sent every weapon to the center of its target without fail. Sasuke was happy for her, but not nearly as happy as she was. Hinata forgot her shy personality for a moment as she ran over and hugged Sasuke, thanking him for showing her how to do this.

Sasuke kissed her and held her tightly, not wanting to let her go. But sadly he looked up at the sky and saw that it was getting late. He sighed and broke the embrace reluctantly. She looked disappointed, but once he offered to walk her home she brightened again.

He took her hand and they went off together in the growing darkness. They were actually very close to her house so it was not a very long dark. As he walked her in, Sasuke was met by the indifferent gaze of Hiashi. A lump built in his throat when he told Hinata to go in and help Hanabi with her homework. Hinata seemed to sense the tension and gave Sasuke a hug before she went in to help her sister. With that, Sasuke stood there calmly waiting for Hinata's father to begin.

"What were you two doing today?" Hiashi sounded like he was only asking about the weather, but he knew that the wrong answer would result in big problems.

"We were sparring, she wanted to learn some new shuriken techniques and I taught her one of my favorites," Sasuke answered but winced inwardly. It was his favorite, but Itachi had been the one to teach him.

"And what will you be doing tomorrow?"

"Uh…We really don't have anything planned for tomorrow, Hyuuga-sama."

"Fine then, go on home," Hiashi turned to walk away but paused for a moment before Sasuke left. "And keep in mind, Uchiha: that's my daughter you're spending time with. Take care of her."

"I will sir," Sasuke swallowed hard, but left as soon as he saw Hiashi retreated back into the Hyuuga compound.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto, or any of the characters from Naruto, rub it in why don't you?

**A/N:** And finally my BIG plot twist! I had so much fun with this! Bwahahahahaha! Please review.

Yamanaka Ino was evil. This was a truth that Sasuke had slowly learned to acknowledge. Why he would think this, he had one very good reason. More than one in fact. The one that immediately came to mind was that Sakura could not seem to keep her mouth shut. This was something that Ino also knew, and had taken advantage of.

The second reason would be that Ino had a strange way of convincing weaker-minded men to do her bidding. One promise of a meal at their favorite restaurant and they were hers. In this case Naruto or Chouji, more likely Chouji seeing as Sakura was involved. Sasuke snorted, Naruto had already called to yell at him for making Sakura cry the other night. Ino had definitely planned this, that much was absolutely certain.

And this…This was just evil.

Here it was that Sasuke found himself, locked in a closet somewhere. And he was not alone. He was stuck in a closet with Sakura. She had already confessed to spilling their scene from the night before to an only too-willing-to-listen Ino.

"I'm so sorry, Sasuke-kun," Sakura sniffed, she didn't seem to be enjoying this anymore than he was. " I s-should've known s-she would do s-something…"

"Shut up already," Sasuke commanded in an agitated tone and Sakura quickly silenced. "I can't figure out where we are if you keep talking."

Sasuke pressed an ear to the door and listened for any footsteps or other sounds from the outside. The room they were in was only about five or six square feet of floor space, at the most. That meant he could try a fireball, but he'd more than likely end up killing them both.

"Damn Ino…" Sasuke finally gave up and turned away from the door. They had already found that there were no light switches in there, so Sasuke tried to make his way to the back of their prison but ended up tripping over one of Sakura's legs.

Sakura cried out in pain, apparently Sasuke was heavier than her looked – especially when he came down hard. He jumped up and tried to calm her down.

"Sakura, relax already!" Sasuke sat down carefully where he was.

"I think you sprained my ankle, Sasuke."

"You can't me serious."

"Oh what? You think I always scream like that?"

"Well…."

"Sasuke! You're so mean!" Sakura's voice broke and there were more muffled sounds.

"Sakura? Are you crying?"

"No…" Came the reply in a strained and obviously hurt voice.

"Oh my God…" Sasuke sighed and sat back against the nearest wall. Sakura continued to sniffle and Sasuke tried to think of how long it would take them to get out. If they were at the academy, it would be a few days seeing as it was now the weekend.

"Oi…What am I gonna tell Hinata?" Sasuke wondered out loud.

"The truth is always a good idea," Sakura suggested. "You said you were on the way back from her house and got ambushed or something?"

"Yeah, I don't even know how it happened," He groaned. He was weak enough to be captured by Ino's minions, he'd never be able to kill that man…

"Probably got hit with that technique of Ino's, then she walked you in or something," Sakura sniffed once more, but sounded much better. "Better than me, I got jumped when I went out to bring the dog back in."

"Do you know who did it?"

"No clue," Sakura sounded calmer. Sasuke was slightly suspicious that she'd had something to do with this but felt too tired to ask about it. Before either of them knew it, Sasuke had fallen asleep next to Sakura.

She eyed him greedily as he finally dozed off, ideas forming as she breathed gently. _.: He's all yours! Go for it:._ Inner Sakura screamed but she still hesitated. The memory of a few moments ago came to her; Sasuke's dark figure leaned up against the door cursing Ino under his breath.

"I'm not going to be like that," She whispered to herself. "I won't stoop to Ino's level."

She cautiously scooted closer and leaned against him ever so slightly. After all, how is she supposed to sleep without some kind of pillow?

"Um…Hi, Sasuke-kun, it's Hinata…again," Hinata began her third message on Sasuke's machine. " I was just …wondering… well, um, I haven't heard from you so, um…please call me when you can. Bye."

"He's still not answering?" Neji asked, as he happened to catch Hinata trying to call Sasuke.

"No," Hinata studied the floor. "Nothing, I hope he's okay."

"I don't, then he'd have no reason not to answer the phone."

"Neji!"

"Just saying what I think, sorry Hinata-sama," Neji held up his hands in mock defeat. He was a little surprised, it was one of the first times she hadn't called him 'nee-san'. The time with Sasuke seemed to have improved her self-confidence.

Hinata rolled her eyes at her cousin and went down the hallway towards her room. Neji stayed put for a moment, staring at the phone. Hinata looked back at him casually before going into her room, smiling slightly.

"Neji-nee-san," Hinata started and he tore his gaze from the phone. "You should just call her."

"I-I don't know what you're talking about," He replied in the most dignified and emotionless manner he could muster. Neji's cheeks turned the faintest shade of pink and he turned back to the phone. Hinata shook her head and went into her room.

She lingered in the doorway a moment, waiting for it. She heard him lift the receiver and start dialing, sounding uncertain as his fingers hit the keys. Hinata grinned as she overheard her cousin, in his most polite voice, ask to speak with Tenten.

"All you need is love…"Hinata sang to herself with a sad smile as she went and sat on her bed, thinking.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto or any characters from Naruto.

**A/N:** Okay, this was not my favorite chapter to write. As Jane Austen once said, "A girl likes to be crossed in love every now and then." So keep that in mind and I promise a happy ending!

"God, I want OUT of here!" Sasuke growled, holding his head in his hands. Sakura had finally run out of things to say, possibly because the position they had woken up in was much different from the one she recalled falling asleep in. Apparently, Inner Sakura was most prominent in her sleep.

But still, when Sasuke was being this rude he deserved a remark or two.

"YOU want out?" Sakura blew up at him. "It's not exactly a picnic being stuck here with you. Especially after you nearly broke my leg!"

"It was not that bad! And I thought you said it had stopped hurting?" Sasuke questioned, smirking and wishing he could see the look on her face.

"Well-I-it, shut up!" Sakura sulked and Sasuke laughed at her.

"Hey!" a voice that was neither Sasuke's nor Sakura's called from outside the door.

"HEY!" The two yelled in unison. "Let us out!"

"How'd you get in there?" A female voice asked.

"It's locked and there are two people inside," A male voice said.

"Yamanaka Ino stuck us in here!" Sakura shouted.

"Ino did this?" The female asked. "No way!"

"Get back from the door," The male voice commanded. Sasuke and Sakura scooted as far back from the door as they could, then they heard several thuds and saw a bright blue light. When the door finally fell the light from outside was too bright for either of them to see who had rescued them.

"Sasuke? Sakura?" The female stepped in first and bent over to look at them.

"Tenten? Is that you?" Sakura recognized her first.

"Yeah, its me. What happened to your ankle?" Tenten knelt down next to her and examined the injured ankle. Sasuke looked at it as well, with the light he could now see that Sakura had a right to be complaining about it. It was swollen for sure, but it was mostly bruising.

"Neji, help me get her out of here," Tenten said as she put one of Sakura's arms around her shoulders.

"Neji?" Sasuke asked and looked back at the doorway. Neji was glaring at him, and Sasuke had a feeling there would be much explaining involved. But, he seemed calmer than usual and helped Tenten carry Sakura out of the closet.

Once they had settled Sakura on a nearby bench, Sasuke got a good look at their surroundings. As it turned out they had been locked in the storage closet of an old abandoned shelter.

"How did you find us?" Sakura asked.

"Well…" Tenten started. "Don't tell anyone about this but we've always found this area to be a good place for…sparring…since it's always empty and quiet. But you guys were shouting and Neji used byakuugan so that we could find you."

The look on Neji's face suggested that he had not wanted to find anyone and felt annoyed that his time with Tenten had been interrupted. But he couldn't argue, if Tenten told him to find the source of the voices he most definitely would have. And he'd clearly done just that.

"How's Hinata?" Sasuke managed to ask.

"She's fine," Neji replied coolly, though still not sure what to make of the situation. "She has been worried about you."

Sasuke felt a pang of guilt, even though he really hadn't done anything wrong. Sakura seemed to sense this and started paying more attention to how her ankle looked.

"How'd that happen anyway?" Tenten asked Sakura.

"Sasuke tripped over me while we were in the closet," Sakura said emotionlessly. Neji tried not to laugh while Tenten nudged him for being rude.

"Do you think you can walk on it?" Sasuke piped up before Sakura could hear Neji's laughter.

"Yeah I think so," Sakura Said and tried to prop herself up on the bench. She stood up and started walking carefully with only a slight limp. " I seem to be okay."

"Alright," Neji turned to Tenten, "I should get you home now, since these two are okay." Tenten smiled but seemed a little disappointed at the same time.

"Thanks for letting us out," Sasuke said to them as they left.

"Oh, and Sasuke?" Neji turned back one last time. "You'd better call Hinata as soon as you get home."

"I was planning on it," Sasuke muttered and the two shared a glare. Neji broke it off when Tenten tugged at his arm impatiently, reminding him of some promise he'd made to teach her how to use a katana. With one last wave from Tenten, the two left Sasuke and Sakura there alone.

"Better go call her, Sasuke," Sakura said sarcastically. "Wouldn't want Hinata to worry."

"Come on," Sasuke gestured for her to lead. Sakura stared back in surprise. "Naruto would have a fit if he found out I'd left injured in the middle of nowhere. Now come on so I can make sure you get home okay."

Somewhat less than impressed, Sakura started walking in the direction of her house. Sasuke followed, close enough to lend a hand if her ankle got the worst of her but far enough to not get in trouble.

Sasuke felt tired and irritated, he hoped he didn't run into Ino on the way home because he knew if he did, he'd hit her. Very hard. And wouldn't even feel bad about it. Except the whole hitting a girl thing. But that was acceptable in Ino's case. She wasn't a girl, she was a snake. Or a wolf in sheep's clothing. Something like that.

As Sakura got closer to her house, her pace quickened. After spending that much time with Sasuke alone she was eager to get away from him. Plus, the thought of a nice hot bath and a good meal after their ordeal was only too tempting. Sasuke felt the same way, but his house was all the way on the other side of town.

"Well thanks Sasuke, see you later," She began to limp through her gate.

"Sakura," Sasuke got her to stall a moment. "Call Naruto tonight, I bet he was worried." Sakura stared back at him in disbelief but only nodded and went in quickly.

Sasuke turned back around and started to head towards his own house when he heard a familiar voice. He spun around with a smile on his face to see Hinata standing there, only not appearing as happy to see him as he was to see her. Still, Sasuke couldn't resist the urge to run up and hug her. Hinata seemed surprised but didn't fight it.

"W-Where were you? I-I've been calling…" Hinata trailed off.

"I'm so sorry, I got ambushed on the way home from your house the other night," Sasuke started to explain. "I had no idea what was happening, and you won't believe where I got stuck…"Sasuke started to trail off when he saw how wet Hinata's eyes looked. "Hinata-chan… I'm sorry…"

"I w-was worried about y-you, you know…" Hinata said and stepped away from him. "A-And then I go out for a walk a-and there you are. I w-was so happy to see y-you because you were okay."

"I'm sorry you were worried," Sasuke tried to place a hand on Hinata's shoulder but again she pulled away from him.

"You were with her," Hinata gestured in the direction of Sakura's house. Sasuke's heart sank, now he knew what she was really upset about. "You even walked her home, and you can't return my calls."

"No, Hinata, it's not like that-"

"Then what's it like, Sasuke? Just seeing how many girls you could get?" She blubbered, even he could see the confidence she'd gotten from their time together coming out.

"No, we got locked in a closet-"

"A closet? Seriously Sasuke. You can do better than that. I can't believe I was such an idiot, thinking that Uchiha Sasuke would actually like _me_ back when he could have any girl in Konoha," She shoved past him towards her house, but Sasuke caught her shoulder as tried to go past.

"I'm telling you the truth Hinata, Ino locked me and Sakura in a closet," He looked her dead in the eyes as he said this. "I wouldn't lie to you Hinata."

"Then why did you walk her home?" Hinata asked and Sasuke flushed.

"I-I tripped over her a-ankle in the closet and s-she was having a hard time walking," Sasuke answered, him being the timid one now_. Shit! This does not look good! She'll never believe this one…_ He thought.

"You, who I've seen race Naruto up a tree and not fall, tripped over Sakura while in a closet?" Hinata sounded doubtful, and he really couldn't blame her. His story, while entirely true, sounded utterly ridiculous. Probably all part of Ino's plan.

"Hinata, I'm sorry I worried you and I'm sorry you're hurt because of me," Sasuke swallowed hard. " But I swear on…" He winced at the subject, "I s-swear on my parent's graves that I'm telling you the truth."

Hinata stared back in disbelief. The two stood there in silence for the longest time. Him feeling weak, like the world was crashing around him because he'd been ambushed. Her feeling confused, knowing well enough that he would not swear this if he was lying but still unsure what to believe. Finally, she pushed past him back to her house and this time he let her go. He wanted to call her back, but he couldn't find the words.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto. Or Sasuke. Or Hinata. But this idea is mine…For the most part…

xxx

Sasuke stormed into his house, upset and angry all at once. He hated himself for not being more careful that night. He hated Ino for stooping to that level. And he hated Naruto, for giving him that stupid mission in the first place. But most of all, he hated that man for not killing him like he had killed everyone else in the clan. If he was already dead, he never could have made Hinata cry.

Sasuke broke into his parent's old cellar, which was hidden under their room. He had never actually done this before, though he'd considered it a number of times. He returned with two bottles of sake, being careful to lock the cellar behind him. If he was going to be drunk, he didn't need to be going back down for more of the stuff and falling on the way. Sasuke was upset, not stupid.

He drowned himself in his bad mood. After his vision began to grow fuzzy, he for some reason decided to check the messages on his machine. The first was from Hinata and went like this:

"Hi, Sasuke-kun! Hope you're doing well. I was wondering if you'd like to come train with me and Neji, and maybe a friend of Neji's too-"

"What on earth-" Sasuke could hear that Neji sounded flustered at Hinata's suggestion.

"Ha ha ha, well call me back when you can, bye," Hinata hung up. Sasuke laughed and took another drink from his bottle. The next message played.

"Sasuke, it's Naruto," Naruto's childish voice said happily. "What do you mean you finished the 'mission'? Prove it! And where's Sakura? She hasn't yelled at me in awhile…" Naruto apparently hung up after that.

"Baka," Sasuke chuckled once again.

"Hi, it's Hinata," The message started. "Ino came up to me today…and, um…She said we needed to break up…I mean, I don't want to but…Why would she say that?…"

"Because she's a dumb meddling wench," Sasuke answered and took another sip of sake.

"And she asked if I'd seen Sakura lately…It was just weird. Call me," Hinata finished and hung up.

"Damn Ino," Sasuke cursed. "If she were here I'd…" Sasuke made a violent motion and stumbled, spilling some sake onto the carpet and falling fall on his back in the process. As the room seemed to spin, he decided to stay there to listen to the last two messages.

"Sasuke, I hope you're back now, we've missed you," Ino's voice said sweetly but Sasuke scowled. "Well, hope things are going well with Hinata, bye now!"

"How the hell did she get my number…" Sasuke wondered, his clouded mind not working right.

"Um…Hi, Sasuke-kun, it's Hinata…again. I was just…wondering…well, um, I haven't heard from you so, um…please call me when you can. Bye."

"Awww," Sasuke took another drink. "She really was (hiccup) worried about me."

Sasuke finished off the bottle and threw it aside. He thought about calling her, but again had no idea what to say. He got up and staggered over to what he called his thinking couch. It wasn't all that comfortable, but it faced out of a window with a view of the garden and was a great place to sit and think. Unfortunately, he didn't get much thinking done this time. He was asleep before you could say 'lights out'.

xxx

Hinata came home with silent tears streaming down her cheeks. Neji and Tenten were training once more (having apparently decided the night was still young) in the open area in the Hyuuga compound that Neji always used. Hinata had to run past this area to reach her room, and tried to do so without them noticing. But her attempt failed, as Neji saw her run past with his byakuugan.

"Hinata-sama?" He said when he saw her face as she went past, feeling an urge to punch Sasuke's lights out all of a sudden.

"Leave me alone," She said and slammed the door to her room shut behind her.

"But I've got good news," Neji left the training area to talk with Hinata through her door. "We saw Sasuke today."

"So did I," Came Hinata's voice, muffled by the door. Neji glanced at Tenten to see how she was taking this, but she appeared eager to help and came over to hear the conversation.

"We found him stuck in a closet," Tenten told Hinata through the door. There was silence, not even a sob.

"He said he'd been locked in there ever since he left here after walking you home the other night," Neji added, thinking the effect the news had on her might prevent him from having to harm Sasuke. It would feel weird beating up the guy he'd helped set up with his cousin for something as dumb as being stuck in a closet after all.

"You mean…" Hinata began, sounding surprised. "He really _was_ stuck in a closet?"

"You, and he wasn't too happy about it," Tenten said.

"Was he really with Sakura?" Hinata asked and the two outside the door shared a look. How would they explain that one?

"Uh…Yeah, he was…" Tenten started.

"That was how we found him. They were yelling at each other loud enough that even we could hear them," Neji added.

"I'm surprised he didn't hurt more than her ankle, the way he was looking at her. He seemed ready to knock her lights out," Tenten said to Neji, who smirked back at her. _'Guess that's why he said she was like a sister…'_ He thought to himself.

"Her ankle really was hurt? That's why he walked her home?" Hinata was no longer crying, as the story fell into place.

"It was swollen pretty bad," Neji said.

"Hey Hinata, you've had a really rough day. Why don't you come on out and we can have some ice cream?" Tenten said and Neji raised an eyebrow at her

'_Yeah, like _that's_ going to work with Hinata…' _He thought, but then to his astonishment Hinata emerged from her room. Tenten put an arm around her shoulders as they walked towards the kitchen together. Neji watched them go in surprise, though he didn't show it. In all of his years of living with Hinata, he never could get her out of her room when she had been crying. Even after he had gotten to know her better, all of attempts were futile. He could help her to feel a little better sure, but she never left her room. And here Tenten gets her out on her first try. Neji allowed himself a small smile, _'I may have to keep this one around…'_ he thought.

XXX

**A/N:** Okay people, thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far. And guess what? The next chapter is THE END! So, I hope you all liked this chapter, because I will post the next chapter a lot faster if I were to wake up tomorrow morning and find 10 reviews for this one... Yes, I'm evil, but I keep my promises. Review please!


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto, or Sasuke, or Hinata, or Neji, or Tenten, or Ino….

**A/N:** I was told that I shouldn't do songfics, like we're not allowed to or something. So here is the fixed version. If anyone wants to read the original it's on my myspace at: http/blog. Fans of Ino: I am sorry for any Ino-bashing throughout the story and I apologize now for any angry references Sasuke makes involving her.

xxx

_Addicted_

Sasuke woke up with a throbbing headache and he hurt all over from falling asleep on his thinking couch. It was hard for him to sit up, and the light streaming in from the window hurt his eyes. He forced himself up and went over to the kitchen first to find some aspirin. The only bottle he had was a new one and he cursed silently as he broke open the childproof seal. More swear words tumbled out of his mouth as he was met with a foil seal once the cap was off. He poked a big hole in it with a finger, only to find a cotton puff. Another string of profanity came from Sasuke as he yanked out the cotton and finally reached the aspirin. He swallowed it with a glass of water, thinking, 'I've already got a headache, why do they make the packaging so damned difficult…?' He wandered over to the coffeepot and made some strong coffee. Silently he wished someone were there to make the coffee for him so he could just sit down. _'If only Hinata could be here…'_ He thought and mentally smacked himself for it. She'd practically dumped him last night. That was why he was feeling like this. Hinata…

The doorbell rang, the sound ringing more loudly in his head than it ever had before. Grumpily he made his way towards the sound and opened the door to see an irritated blonde boy standing before him, Naruto of course.

"Oi, Naruto, not today…" Sasuke held his head.

"Tough luck," Naruto shoved past and Sasuke sighed as he closed the door behind him. "Sakura called me."

"Oh yeah? Good for her," Sasuke replied absent-mindedly. He was intent on getting to his coffee. _'At least someone can be happy,'_ He thought.

"Yeah, and she told me the weirdest story. She said you guys were locked in a closet for two and a half days."

"Unfortunately, we were."

"She wasn't making that up?" Naruto was surprised and eventually took to lying down on Sasuke's thinking couch. Sasuke secretly hoped he'd end up sore from doing so. "Well, how did Hinata take it?"

Sasuke winced at her name and downed a cup of coffee. Images of Hinata's tear filled face flashed in his mind, closely followed by a desire to harm the one who'd brought on those tears. Whatever sick and twisted idea Ino had concocted had worked, since it clearly had made things go wrong between him and Hinata. He really did care about Hinata, he hadn't realized how much until now. And he never would have known it if it weren't for that mission.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know," Naruto walked over and slapped Sasuke on the back. "She'll come running back, don't you worry about it."

"That's just it, Naruto," Sasuke took a seat in an armchair, cradling his head in his hands. "I don't think she's coming back. She was really upset."

"Sasuke, Hinata's a smart girl," Naruto had no idea how to help his friend, but he wasn't willing to quit trying. When he'd given him the mission, he had expected Sasuke to go for Sakura and she would've been very happy. But he hadn't expected Sasuke to actually find someone to fall in love with. "Don't worry, she'll figure it out soon enough and then you guys can get all lovey dovey again."

"…"

"That's it, come with me," Naruto dragged Sasuke to his feet and out the door. Sasuke blinked in the bright light until Naruto shoved a pair of sunglasses onto his nose. "Geez, you're hung over too? You seriously need to get out of here." Naruto felt like he was helping an addict find counseling, and chuckled to him self at the thought. Of course it was like an addiction, what else is love when it does this to people?

They went to Ichiraku, and Sasuke grimaced. This was where everything had started after all, on Hinata's birthday. Naruto tried to be happy and cheer Sasuke up, but there was a dark cloud over the Uchiha and he could find no way around it. It even started to spread to Naruto as well, but as soon as they left the ramen shop Naruto was back to his usual cheery self. If only it were that easy to make Sasuke happy again.

As they were walking around, someone called for Sasuke from the other side of the street. Sasuke was still really feeling out of it and Naruto had to elbow him before he even took notice.

"How's Hinata lately, Sasuke?" Ino asked innocently. Suddenly, Sasuke felt fine. Maybe the coffee and ramen had kicked in, or maybe it was the feel of Ino cowering in his grip, he wasn't really sure.

"Sasuke! What are you doing?" Naruto yelped, running up behind him but not wanting to step in.

"It's all your fault isn't it?" Sasuke hissed at Ino, looking like a madman. "You stuck us in that closet, and you knew someone would find out and tell Hinata so that she'd be mad at me."

"I'm sorry!" Ino was shaking. Her plan had backfired on her horribly.

"Answer me, Ino," Sasuke snarled.

"Ok, ok…" She whimpered. " I made Chouji help me, he got Sakura and I got you. I'm sorry!" Ino burst into tears and he dropped her.

"Why would you do that?"

"I-I t-thought that maybe if you saw how easily she got upset over this, than you'd realize she's no good," Ino managed to spit out, and Sasuke gave her a death glare. _'Did she just say Hinata's no good?…' _Sasuke thought before all normal thoughts escaped him.

"Don't talk about her like that," Sasuke growled. He made to hit Ino as hard as he could, and Ino screamed as she tried to avoid the hit…But then he made contact, -and it wasn't Ino he had hit.

"Hinata!" He yelled in surprise and stepped back in shock. Sasuke had just hit the very girl he'd been defending…In his own weird, twisted way. She had jumped in front of Ino at the last moment, and received the blow to her stomach since Sasuke had been aiming for Ino whom was on the ground. Hinata stared up at him blankly and went down to her knees, clutching her stomach.

Naruto was the first to recover from the scene and went over to Ino and pulled her away. His chivalrous move was deemed pointless as an irritated Shikamaru pushed him aside and took to taking care of Ino himself. Hinata and Sasuke simply stayed there staring at each other. Sasuke felt horrified that he had just hit her, and she felt some sympathy and understanding for his position. He had been locked up by Ino, yelled at by his girlfriend, and taunted by the person who'd started the cycle of events, all in less than twenty-four hours. She didn't blame him for reacting the way that he had.

"Hinata, I'm so sorry, I didn't know," Sasuke was flustered. _'I just hit someone I love, I'm more like him than I thought…Wait a minute, love?…' _His jumbled thoughts came all at once.

"Nice shot," Hinata wheezed, still affected by the hit. "You'll have to teach me that sometime."

"W-what? Sure, of course," He knelt down in front of her so that they could be at eye levels. Her pearly eyes stared back at him calmly, studying the boy before her. "So… You're not mad at me?"

"You were the one who was locked up, I should have trusted you. I'm sorry," She smiled weakly at him. "And I couldn't let you hit her. She might be the reason we've gotten into this whole mess, but no one else needs to be in pain. You're hurting-" She grunted and held her stomach tighter. "-I'm hurting, and she looked like she regretted what she'd done. No one else needs to be hurt today." He felt a huge weight lift off of his shoulders at this. Sasuke pulled her into his arms, holding her close like she would disappear if he let go.

She wasn't angry anymore, and he could finally feel like himself again, because he had his Hinata back. Even Ino breathed a sigh of relief, because after Hinata's speech Sasuke would definitely not try to hit her again.

"Will you always be by my side?" He asked, quietly so that no one else could hear him.

"Always," Hinata replied. He pulled back just enough so that he could kiss her lips softly.

"I guess things worked out for the best," Ino sighed, and Shikamaru rolled his eyes.

"Does this mean you'll stop your troublesome meddling?" Shikamaru asked her, and she had to think about it for a minute.

"No, probably not," She answered and Shikamaru laughed at her.

Sasuke broke the lip lock to look into her pale eyes once more. She seemed hesitant to stop the embrace, but looked back at him patiently.

"I love you, Hinata," He said simply and a pink tint rose in her cheeks.

"I love you, too, Sasuke," She leaned forward into him once more and this time their kiss deepened. The world around them no longer mattered as they shared this special moment. Never again would they be pulled apart. Never again would they doubt each other.

From the side, Naruto smirked as he watched the scene unfold before him

"Mission complete."

_-Epilogue-_

Sasuke opened his eyes groggily, and looked around the room. It was clear that he was still in the Uchiha mansion, the colors of the house making that obvious. He groaned, remembering the dream he'd just had._'That girl sure has guts, to jump in front of one of my punches like that,' _He smiled as he thought of Hinata. Rolling over slowly, Sasuke saw the lump in the sheets.

Hinata's hair framed her face gracefully as she slept and Sasuke couldn't help but smile down at her, reaching over to her hand and running a finger across the gold band on her ring finger. Hinata's eyes half opened and she smiled before closing them again, still tired. It wasn't long before the door opened forcefully and two children jumped up onto the bed, one landing on Hinata, the other landing on Sasuke. Hinata groaned and hid her face under the sheet, she'd never been a morning person.

"Mommy! Daddy! You promised to take us to the park today!" A little girl with big dark eyes grinned, sitting on Sasuke as she spoke.

"Sasuke-kun, you heard your daughter," Hinata said from under the blankets.

"Mommy, you said you'd go too!" said the little boy on top of the lump that was Hinata. Hinata finally poked her head out of the sheets and met his silver eyes with her own.

"Why don't you go get your Uncle Neji to go with you?" She suggested, and the kids jumped off the bed in excitement. Sasuke smiled at her, the kids loved Neji for some unknown reason but he was hard to convince unless they were looking up at him with those big eyes.

"Guess I'll see you later, then," Sasuke gave her a quick kiss before getting up to take the kids out. After he got dressed, he went to the door and turned back to take one last look at Hinata as she went back to sleep. "Don't forget to come to the park, before Uncle Neji loses his patience."Sasuke left before he could see her answer, but he didn't need to see it. Uchiha Hinata would never lie to their kids.

_-The End-_

_xxx_

_Chpater title comes from the song "Addicted" by Kelly Clarkson (Breakaway)_

**A/N: **I'm so happy! I finally finished my first real fic! Yay! Thank you to ALL of my wonderful reviewers for reading and I hope you enjoyed it. Everyone has been really great, adn it helped me get this out there a lot faster too.

And there was review in particular I really enjoyed: "Sasuke seems more amiable when inebriated." I couldn't agree more, thanks juliagulia!


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